Much Needed Sunlight
by Maiden Cheza
Summary: Cheza is snatched from Kiba and the others by the scientists. Cheza escapes but is miles away from Kiba. Will Kiba find her before she dies? Entire summary inside, better explained
1. Synopsis

**Much Needed Sunlight**

* * *

Cheza is snatched from Kiba and the others by the scientists. Taken so far away, not even 

Hige's keen sense of smell nor Kiba's instincts can catch a scent of the flower maiden. 

Surprisingly, Cheza manages to escape from the clutches of Cher but is stuck in an upset city 

with Kiba and the others miles and miles away. Without her protectors nor much needed 

resources, will Kiba find her before the flower withers?


	2. Passing Through

_Just A Simple Day... _

* * *

The streets were semi-crowded with the normal peasants and townsfolk. For them, it was perfect. The day appeared to be a good day; there was a cool breeze dancing in and out of the venues with a soft sun above them. For some reason, that day was exceptionally pleasant. The pack, masquerading themselves as humans, strolled through the open markets, simply trying to get by.

As always, the smallest of them all, was behind, observing every little detail with amused tawny eyes. In front of him came the laid-back, jovial teenager, fingers laced behind his head, whistling a merry little tune. Before him, stood the tallest of them, and most likely the most antagonistic one of them all, simply following. Even though he hated following. And at the very beginning walked the supposed pack leader, holding hands with their most cherished possession, a girl with rose shaded locks and bizarrely beautiful crimson eyes.

Their little expedition was to find an isolated place to rest for a couple of days or so. And of course, to feed Hige's starving stomach. As if on cue, the whistling teen's belly growled for food.

"Kiba, when the heck are we gonna eat?" Hige whined a bit, patting his tummy hidden behind a yellow hoodie.

Tsume scoffed, not surprised whatsoever at the protest. "We should hurry up before Fatty over here decides to eat his hand."

Hige growled at Tsume and stood up for his stomach. "Hey! I'm not fat, you stupid...over-sized...cat!"

Toboe frowned and shook his head in disbelief as Tsume stopped, turned around and glared at Hige. _Another argument: Tsume vs. Hige, round one. _

"I'm surprised your pathetic brain can even think up a comeback, it seems like the only thing it knows how to do is tell your body when you're hungry, which is every 5 freaking seconds!" Tsume thundered out, ignoring the looks on people's faces as they walked by. Just as Hige opened his mouth to lash out at the leather-clad man, a voice popped out.

"Save it for later."

A pair of greenish blue eyes gazed at both of the wolves whom had stopped their bickering, both muttering threats to each other as they went back to their normal postures. Kiba merely looked at them with an expressionless face and turned around again, starting to walk again with Cheza.

Toboe sighed in relief and mumbled under his breath, "Another match postponed by Kiba."

Which Hige heard and whacked the pup upside his head.

Toboe yelped and held his head, looking up at Hige. "Keep cracking jokes like that, Chibi and I'll whack you so hard you'll forget your name."

Cheza giggled at the scene, knowing that behind the threats and arguments, the wolves cared for each other very much. She turned her head and gazed up at Kiba, who had been peacefully silent throughout the walk until now.

"Kiba?" Her childish voice softly rung out, causing the teenager to look at her. Seeing that she had his attention, (which she always did) she smiled at him and began to speak.

"Kiba...we look for a place to stay...and then eat?"

Kiba nodded to her and watched her eyes twinkle in delight, as if being correct was a phenomenon. And that brightened him up as well. Whenever she was happy, he was happy. They were connected, true, but it was beyond that. What he felt for her was something he had never felt for any other wolf, much less a human. EXTREMELY much less. He watched her as she turned her face forwards, a smile planted on her alabaster pretty face, and faintly smiled.

He didn't just need her for paradise. He needed her to survive in the world. Ironic as it seemed, the independent white wolf depended on a single flower. A flower he had grown to adore and love deeply.

Looking back at the crowd ahead of him, Kiba felt like he could take on the world if necessary, just knowing he had Cheza by his side.

Once again, Hige's stomach groaned loudly and Tsume snarled in frustration. Toboe whimpered, knowing what was going to happen. It was a never ending cycle.

Kiba decided not to do anything about it for a while, knowing it was just kid stuff between the two wolves and smirked when he heard Toboe's whine, calling his name.

"Kiiiibaaa, do something..."

It was their daily rituals that the pack went through, and nothing seemed to change it. No one really wanted to.

They kept on looking and searching finally reaching an area where abandoned, semi-dismantled buildings stood. Few were occupied, most were vacant.

Choosing the last dorm in the farthest building, they went in and at last halted.

The place was an absolute disaster; holes in the walls, broken windows, ripped out furniture, colorless decorations. But it would suffice, besides, through the broken windows sunlight would spring in, something Cheza needed.

Hige flopped down on a torn couch and patted his stomach again, hoping it'd stop growling for a bit, as Toboe sat on the floor, pulling out a deck of cards from a pocket in his pants. The young pup smiled at Cheza who returned the gesture and went to him, sitting in front of him as a beam of sunlight hit her just right.

"We'll be back with food." Kiba told the two of them, though they already knew the drill.

Hige sprung to life and smiled widely. "Food! There is a God!" With that little exclamation, Tsume rolled his amber eyes but kept quiet.

As always, Cheza brought up the same suggestion she gave everyday no matter how many times they had given her the same answer.

She turned around and smiled at the three of them. "This one—"

"Will stay here with Toboe and play cards." Kiba interrupted gently, getting her to pout in a babyish way.

Tsume snorted beside him, wondering how many times Kiba would have to go through this and how many times Cheza would persist to come. They waited for the sign of approval from her, but it never came.

"Cheza..."

Cheza continued pouting, silent, refusing to say yes. Hige's stomach moaned yet again and Tsume tapped his foot impatiently while Kiba just looked at her, staring straight into her ruby eyes waiting for a response.

Sighing, she gave in and nodded, defeated . "This one will stay..."

"About time." Tsume rolled his eyes and turned around, heading out with Hige after him.

"You're in charge, Toboe." Kiba looked at Toboe who nodded and turned around once Cheza did and out he went with the others.

Cheza sighed and looked at Toboe who put on his best smile to cheer her up. "They'll be back super quick, Cheza. You know that. Now, how 'bout a game of...I Declare War?"

Her locks flopped as she nodded, putting on a small smile. "Whatever you want, Toboe."

* * *

A/N

How'd I do? This is my first Wolf's Rain fic so please go easy on me. I've never been flamed and I don't think I'm ready for it. ;-;

Please review and share your thoughts on this introduction chapter. I really wanted to say it straight out in this first chapter so there'd be no confusion: Kiba LOVES Cheza. Of course Cheza will announce her love as well, like she always does.

I guarantee action or sappiness (God knows which comes first) in the next chapter or so. And I'll try to make it longer, or just update more chapters

But ignore my ramblings and just tell me what you think!


	3. Blood Loss

_I see your face with every punch I take and every bone I break, it's all for you... –Yellowcard _

* * *

After 12 battles of **I Declare War**, each spanning about 10 minutes, the threesome came back. Cheza's spirit lit up quickly and she smiled broadly at them. "Welcome back!" She fixed up her cards into a huge neat pile (she had been winning this game, just like the last 9 games) and placed it on the floor, getting up. Toboe blinked at her pile and placed his down. "How does she do it..." He asked himself quietly, definitely starting to doubt in beginner's luck.

Hige burped loudly and smiled embarrassedly. "Heh heh heh, whoops?" The others just rolled their eyes and gathered around a coffee table where they had placed the various foods. Cheza scanned the provisions, looking for a bottle of water. She looked puzzled, finding no water and turned to Kiba. "Kiba? No...water?"

Kiba nodded and pulled out a canteen of water. Cheza smiled and appreciatively took the water.

"This one thanks you." She sighed happily and began to drink, sitting down on the floor once again.

The foursome of wolves grabbed their share of food, Hige eating one more time, and silently ate as Cheza hummed a song just to ease them.

It was a bit unusual to see them that quiet. It was a disturbing sort of silence and thankfully, the flower maiden being wise, hummed to alleviate the tension. They all knew what had caused the apprehension, they just didn't want to talk about it. At least not in front of her.

Darcia had been on their case for a while, slowly tracking them to their precise positions. And for that, the group kept relocating themselves, as well as moving onwards to Paradise.

Paradise...Months ago it was just a plan Kiba had made just for him. Now it consisted of others and the plan was now put into action, especially with the key now with them.

The key that was humming the sweet song with her eyes closed.

But Paradise had to be put on the back burner for a moment. For Darcia's ludicrous, persistent hunt for both Cheza and their heads was the most important one now. The noble had been exceedingly close to snatching back the flower maiden, but luck was on their side every time. But even Kiba knew that luck would run out if they weren't careful.

A tiny gasp caught Kiba off guard and his eyes darted to Cheza who had jumped up, heading for a window. Toboe went after her, like the little brother he resembled to her, and looked out the window as well. Though not as amazed as she was.

"The sunset...this one thinks it's beautiful." The delicate flower smiled at the young wolf and gaped back at the setting sun.

Hige chuckled at her childish amusement, admiring it all the while. Tsume on the other hand, couldn't believe how easily the girl was intrigued. But Kiba, sitting down against a wall, his knees up, smirked yet again.

"Hard to believe she's the key." Tsume commented, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against a wall.

Kiba closed his eyes and leaned his head back, sights of how Paradise would look like entering his mind. That was his goal, his destination, and no force on Earth could stop him from reaching it.

The night crawled into place and tucked its dark sheets over the sky, a few stars dotting the heavens. And still, Cheza was posted there, captivated by the creativity of God. Night, this was her favorite time. Though the moon wasn't out, she still loved the hours of darkness. Toboe had laid down on the other couch across Hige, leaving the pink-dressed young flower at the windowsill.

Cheza looked over at her companions that she grew deeply attached to and smiled softly, sensing their tiredness. She understood them of course, they had been walking since the previous night nonstop. And she knew why, but never said anything. Their fear was Darcia and that kept them moving.

_No...their fear is not that...This one is their fear...They do not want to lose this one..._She thought, her eyes radiating love towards them.

Her eyes moved from the now sleeping Hige, to a dreaming Toboe, to Tsume who seemed to be half-asleep against the wall, and to Kiba...her beloved.

She felt the most connected to him in every single way. She felt something deep for him, and was not afraid to hide it. But did not know how to show it, except in smiles, concern, and attachment.

She stood in her little pink dress over her pallid moon suit with her pink boots, her bob of baby pink hair dancing a bit as the soft wind drew in from the windows

Her eyes focused on Kiba, the handsome white wolf, the gorgeous young man. With his rustled dark brown hair or with his lovely coat of white fur, and his deep aqua colored orbs or those intense predator yellow eyes, and his slim body toned to perfection. He was absolutely breath-taking...But Cheza looked past that. She fell in love with his personality. His soul. His heart.

The lovely flower smiled, and looked back outside at the window. Rain!

A soft drizzle just arrived! Cheza's eyes lightened up in joy as the drops of fresh rain plopped down to the earth. It had been a while since rain had come, and it finally did! Cheza had hid her thirst for water very well and the canteen of water Kiba gave her was simply not enough. Temptation and necessity pulling her in, Cheza ran out of the apartment, heading outside.

Tsume and Kiba quickly snapped their eyes open at the sound of boots flying by, and it didn't take long to realize to whom the footsteps belonged to.

"Cheza!" Kiba, a bit surprised at her, called out, waking the two sleeping wolves as he ran out behind the flower maiden.

But surprise, surprise.

Someone else was already dashing behind her. Someone who was an official. And who had brought buddies.

"Stop!" The soldiers yelled, pointing their M-16's and other guns at the four wolves.

Kiba growled, showing a couple of sharp incisors, irritated at how fast the bastards caught up with them. Without hesitation, Kiba sprinted towards the group of soldiers, followed by the others, and dodged every single bullet they shot, his speed too fast to be seen with their eyes. He went in and out between them and one by one they fell with blood spraying out. But he wasn't going after them, he was going after Cheza.

It seemed like they reproduced themselves, because more of those soldiers appeared, shooting at the wolves like the crazed cowards that they were. Kiba, slashing through and through, followed Cheza's scent, leaving the others behind to fight.

He heard an earsplitting, piercing scream not too far and felt a wave of fear come over him. A wave of fear that wasn't his own. _Cheza! _

His instincts yelled at him to do something quick and his entire body pushed itself beyond the limit, ready to defend, protect and take back Cheza. As he turned the corner, bullets grazing after him, he didn't even stop to absorb what was happening but sped up, racing towards Cheza. Who was being carried into an airship.

Surrounded by more combatants and still being shot at from every angle, Kiba, still in his human form, dashed towards the closing airship, his eyes locked onto Cheza.

Cheza, sensing that Kiba was there, turned to see him and couldn't help but show the horror she felt through her frightful red eyes. "Kiba!"

The soldier holding her looked at Kiba's direction, the wolf's eyes flashing rage, and quickly went in and pressed a button on a side, beginning to close the airship's doors.

"Kiba!" Tsume called out but Kiba was only focusing on getting to Cheza before that damned door closed.

As he closed in on the airship it began to take flight, but that didn't stop him.

_Don't close. Don't close. Don't close! _He screamed mentally, watching his chance of getting inside the airship...vanish.

Not caring, Kiba leaped high into the air, his fingertips brushing up against the airship for mere seconds, and fell back down.

"No!" The irate young man growled, watching the airship head higher and higher into the atmosphere.

A bullet scraped by Kiba's right shoulder, catching his attention. Which unfortunately for the soldier, was not a good thing to catch at the moment.

Kiba's flashing aqua eyes emitted pure fury as the soldier aimed his gun at him, shaking a bit.

Oblivious to the fact that the others had arrived and had taken down most of the humans, Kiba snarled at the soldier and sprinted, going straight for him. The young soldier began to shoot but every single shot missed Kiba who in seconds had reached him.

Kiba didn't give him a chance to even scream as he tore the man apart.

Blood spurted everywhere, landing on Kiba's face, staining his clothes, but the wolf didn't stop. Because of these humans, Cheza was gone. Because of them, he couldn't catch Cheza. Because of those incompetents, him and Cheza were separated again!

The man was already dead but Kiba kept at it, engulfed by his anger. Only when Toboe placed a hand on his shoulder did Kiba snap back to life. He jerked his head to the right, frightening Toboe a bit, and looked at the pup, his mind still not registering where he was.

"Kiba...He's dead, already." Toboe stammered out, his hand still on Kiba's shoulder.

Tsume and Hige walked up, both surprised at the mess Kiba had done. Never did the wolf raze an enemy quite that bad. The soldier...didn't have a face anymore. His neck and all the way down was shredded, blood still pouring out, and not to mention he had his chest torn open.

Kiba stood up and glared at the lifeless body and slowly looked at his comrades. "Let's go." Without another word, he walked past them, knowing they'd follow.

Tsume grunted, placing his hands inside his pockets and pursued, leaving behind Hige and Toboe who looked at each other.

"They took Cheza again..." Toboe frowned, his puppy eyes extremely sad. Hige sighed depressed and ruffled the pup's hair. "We'll get her back, Chibi. We'll definitely get Cheza back."

Toboe nodded and followed Hige, catching up to Kiba and Tsume whom were already running. Once again, Kiba led by instinct, but this time, it wasn't for Paradise. It was for Cheza.

"Kiba, where are we going?" Toboe asked, running at the end of the pack. Tsume answered, knowing Kiba was in his feverish mood and was mostly likely not going to respond.

"It's not where we're going, runt. It's who we're gonna get."

"The scientists."

* * *

A/N

What do ye think? I'm trying to build up the characters individually and at the same time, I'm trying to jam in action and romance all in the same chapter. I'm trying to make longer chapters but alas short term memory loss ish a bitch and my writer's block is more like a damn road block than a stop sign. -.-

But please review and throw me any ideas! Anything helps

Oh! I almost forgot, I'm really not into the whole yaoi thing (no matter how attracted Toboe ish to Tsume) but I'll make sure to show some "affection" between those two wolfies. FRIEND affection, mind you. That's all for now! Ta!

P.S Blue might come in


	4. Holding On

_Always losing me in a cloud...--Wolf's Rain Soundtrack _

* * *

"We finally did it. After months of trying...we finally got her back." She placed a hand on the glass sphere and looked up at the girl in awe. Her sapphire eyes were glued on the girl made of lunar flowers, feeling like the weight of the world was off her shoulders.

"Yeah and about time too. Now, what do you think about Darcia?" A manly voice came through, appearing behind the woman. He too looked up at the flower maiden, put in a glass sphere with specialized water.

Cher Degre placed her hand down and took her eyes off Cheza. She turned to the man and spoke in a business-like tone. "Darcia is going to be chasing after those boys thinking they still have her. We have enough time to put our plans into action."

The man known as Captain simply nodded at the scientist. "Will you need any guards standing at the door?"

The blonde shook her head and looked back at Cheza, she was obsessed with her research and the flower maiden. "...She's beautiful, isn't she?" Cher whispered the rhetorical question.

"Anything that can lead us to Paradise is beautiful, I say." Captain chuckled, turning around and heading out of the laboratory, leaving Cher alone with the submerged Cheza.

Cher took a chair and sat in front of the large glass sphere, simply staring up at the sleeping flower maiden. For months they had been looking for her, trying to retrieve her. And at last, they did.

_I finally did it, Hubb. _She smirked faintly, thinking back on her ex-husband. He always did tell her she was too into her work. But how could she help it? In her hands she held the key to Paradise. That wasn't work to her, that was a God given gift.

She really did miss her Lebrowski. She missed him extremely. Him and their passionate love. But...she was passionate about her research as well. And if he couldn't understand that then...

"Quit thinking about him, Cher. You got Cheza now." She gently scolded herself, knowing the damage dwelling on the past could do to her.

She got up and pondered as she gaped at Cheza. Darcia was intelligent. He'd figure out in a while that those meddling boys didn't have Cheza anymore. She knew he'd find out. But she also knew that she had more than enough time with Cheza before Darcia could do anything to stop their research. Much less those boys.

Cher pursed her lips together and placed back the chair. Captain and his soldiers didn't finish them off, but it wasn't necessary. But she prayed for them, because if they tried to get Cheza back, they'd fail miserably. They had no idea where the laboratory was. And even if they did come to the right place, they'd be too late.

Feeling a bit hungry, Cher decided to head out and satisfy her hunger. As she began to leave the chamber, she turned around and spoke to Cheza. "You'll be better off here with us..."

With that, she left, feeling like God had given her a pair of wings to actually fly up to Paradise.

Little did she know what would happen later...

* * *

It had been days since the group of scientists took Cheza from them. The Lunar Flower scent had long dissipated, leaving them only with the white wolf's strong instincts. But even his instincts were faltering a bit.

There they were traveling across a vast wasteland that seemed to span forever. Civilization was left behind and the only thing they had was each other and discombobulated constructions and desert.

"Cause I am due for a miracle, I'm waiting for a sign...I'll stare straight into the sun and I won't close my eyes...Till I understand or go blind..." Hige sung quietly, trying to keep himself entertained. Problem was, that was the only song he kept singing for an hour straight.

"Mind shutting the hell up for a while?" Tsume growled, irritated with the song. Hige rolled his eyes and stopped his singing. "It's not like we got anything else to do. Geez, why do you have to be menopausal ?"

"What was that?" Tsume snarled, tempted to bash Hige's skull in. These last few days had been stressful. Kiba was more silent than before, Toboe wasn't his cheerful self, and Hige and Tsume kept bickering more and more. It was surprising to see that Kiba didn't shut them up.

"You guys, don't start this again." Toboe sighed, feeling more than a bit depressed.

"You shut your trap, runt. I'll show you menopausal you overweight house dog." Tsume snapped, his temper getting the best of him.

Tsume stopped, turned around and glared at Hige who glared back and shot back. "Better house-broken than a worthless mutt!"

"Your pathetic girlfriend's the only mutt here! What is she again? A she-wolf or a bitch?" Toboe gasped, knowing what this meant.

"THAT'S IT! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THAT!" Hige lost it completely and went to pounce Tsume who was more than ready to pound Hige to a pulp.

"Quit it. Now." Kiba spoke in a loud, firm tone, stopping both of them again.

But Hige had snapped and snarled. "No, man! What the hell! I'm not gonna let some egotistical bastard with no heart what so fucking ever talk about Blue like that."

Toboe was now in shock, never did he hear Hige curse nor be so defensive. Hige, ignoring Kiba's intense stare walked past him and went ahead of them.

Kiba just looked at him, and then at Tsume who rolled his eyes. When their eyes met, Tsume glared, "Don't even start with me, Kiba. Don't. Even. Start."

Toboe looked up at Kiba with frightened eyes and to Tsume. "Tsume..." He whimpered, not liking the way things ended. The gray wolf glanced at the pup and kept walking.

What the hell was wrong with everyone?

This tension between them was killing them. Kiba turned around and led again, with Hige yards in front of them. The pack seemed to be so dysfunctional lately, and it was definitely bad for them.

Miles and miles to go before the next city, and here they were, not talking to each other.

Toboe stayed close to Tsume who was more than annoyed at everyone but let the pup near him. Why? He didn't know himself.

Kiba just walked, silent as ever, his thoughts on Cheza and Paradise. And how he would kill the creeps that took her. He would definitely kill them all.

Hige at the front, just kept walking, fuming silently. Blue was not his girlfriend. Not officially. But he would never let anyone talk about her like that. If Kiba weren't around, Hige would probably have fought Tsume to the death just for insulting the radiant Blue.

_I hope we find Cheza before we break up...Please be ok, Cheza..._The innocent rust-colored pup prayed in his mind, hoping their journey as a pack would not come to an end...

* * *

Night had come, extremely darken, barely starry. The four wolves decided to finally take a rest and early in the morning they'd journey once again. They found a place to sleep in, shaded by the moonlight.

Hige sat far away from Tsume while on the other hand, Toboe kept close to the silver-haired man. Kiba was the one was standing up, away from the others, looking up at the moon's radiance, trying to sooth his soul. The others were quiet as they too gazed up, all of them being reminded of someone.

"Cheza..." Toboe whispered solemnly, seeing a faint image of her face in the moon. Tsume scoffed but said nothing, deep inside hiding his true feelings. Tsume knew only three things that involved Cheza.

1. He needed to protect her

2. He had to have her around

3. He found the flower to be like...a pup. A newborn one at that. Annoying but...cute.

To him, Cheza and Toboe were exactly the same. Annoying, childish, and in need of protection.

Hige laid on his back with his hands supporting his head and stared up at the moon. He wondered where Cheza was and at the same time, he thanked her. He thanked for showing Blue who she really was. He hoped that his secretive crush was ok with her lunatic owner, Yaiden.

Yet it was only Kiba who felt like a huge part of him had been ripped out. Her laughter rang in his ears and her face came to his mind. _Cheza...I'll find you..._

Unbeknownst to them...Cheza was looking up at the same moon under the same night sky.

"Kiba..." The lunar flower child sighed, missing her companions. She stood under the moonlight while being watched by 6 guards. Cher and the others had decided that a little moonlight would be good for the flower maiden and so they allowed her to go outside while being guarded.

She smiled softly up at the moon and twirled slowly around with her arms out. She closed her eyes and thought of the nights where all five of them danced around in fields being covered in moonlight. Just those thoughts brought a wide smile to her face and made her sing a gentle tune as she prayed for them.

_Moon goddess...mother...protect my wolves...protect them from the bad...please, for this one..._

Soaking in the luminosity of the moon, Cheza sung louder, her soothing voice enticing to even dogs in near neighborhoods. She hoped with all her might that the song would carry off into her wolves' ears and souls.

Little did she know that somehow, somewhere, the foursome began to gradually loosen up from their stress.

"It's time to go back in, Cheza." Cher announced softly, astonished by the flower's maiden techniques. Cheza slowly came to a stop and ended her song. She opened up her ruby eyes and looked at the scientist.

She nodded and walked towards Cher, ready to go back inside. "This one...is done..."

* * *

A/N

Ok, so I really didn't have enough friendly affection between Tsume and Toboe ;-; Umm...sorry? ;-;

I'll super duper try next time! And I'll try to sneak in a guest appearance by Blue, but give me time! School and baseball are killing me

Keep reviewing for moi! It really helps


	5. Departure

**_A/N: _**Sorry for the delay! With all the stupid hurricanes coming down on us here in Florida, I haven't had time to upload my chapters (nor write them ;) But I'm back! Well enough rambling, on with the show!

* * *

_When you follow your instincts, you follow the right path..._

* * *

Cher took a sip of her cold coffee and flinched at the awful taste of it. She made a face of disgust but still drank from the mug. Feeling like anymore of the horrible drink would kill her, she placed the cup down and looked away from it, goose bumps racing down her skin from the remaining taste of coffee in her mouth. There she sat, like a statue, in front of Cheza. No matter how much her eyes were drooping, begging to close, the blonde kept herself awake. Many times, while analyzing Cheza, Cher's eyes would close for some rare seconds and snap open, the battle between staying awake and sleeping raging.

Still, with her glasses perked up, her flaxen hair picked up in its usual style, and her straightened pastel coat, Cher was determined to stay up all night recording the flower maiden's data.

It was already four in the morning, most of the workers in the laboratory had gone home and those who had stayed were getting ready to leave. But not Cher, nothing would move her from her seat.

"Don't you think you should rest, Degre?" Captain's voice came in, his footsteps behind her. The man stood next to her and looked at the pale woman who simply stared at Cheza.

"Rest comes after work, and so far I'm still not finished with my duties." She stated but was unable to hide her fatigue. She turned to face him and gave him a soft smile, "I'll be fine, Captain."

The senior didn't believe a word of it. He placed a strong hand on her shoulder and looked into hers eyes with his deep brown ones.

"You need to rest. Cheza will be fine. I have more sentries guarding this place than Darcia has around his trust fund."

Cher chuckled slightly at his joke and after all the hours of battling, sleepiness won. Her tensed muscles loosened up a bit as she sighed and nodded reluctantly. "I suppose you're right. I won't be able to record the right information if I'm half-asleep."

Captain nodded and helped her up to her feet. "Come on, I'll walk you out of here. Don't worry about locking up, I got that covered." He assured her, letting her grab her belongings and led her out of the chamber.

They chattered a bit as they walked to the exit of their secret hide out. Captain punched in the pin number on the lock at the side of the metal doors and watched as they slid open. Cher turned to him and gave him a worried look. Captain sighed and gently pushed Cher out. "Your flower maiden is in good hands for the night. Trust me when I say that."

The elegant female nodded again and began to walk away, waving goodbye at him. As she watched the doors close, her train of thought went back to Cheza. For some reason, she felt like something bad was going to happen. Sleep overcoming her, Cher turned around and continued walking, her new goal was now to rest.

* * *

Captain strolled around the gigantic laboratory, securing the place, before heading back to Cheza's chamber. Trusting in his troops, Captain simply poked his head in and took a look at the flower maiden in her sleeping form. His eyes traveled to the cables connected to the crystal sphere containing Cheza, and made sure that they were still properly intact. With that done, he closed the doors again and walked off.

He himself needed some beauty sleep. The only reason he had stayed so long in the laboratory was because of Cher. He knew that if somebody hadn't told her to leave, she would've stayed up all night and morning besides Cheza.

But he was sure that nothing would happen. His laboratory so secured he was positive a raccoon would fail in sneaking in. Whistling down the halls, Captain told his groups of soldiers to retreat home. Without any second thoughts, the soldiers gladly obeyed his orders and deserted the place.

Captain was the last one out and as he leisurely walked to his car, he felt so positive that nothing would go wrong inside his empty scientific castle. That nothing could ever go in.

He left out one little detail: Something could definitely go out.

* * *

Something in Cheza stirred, she couldn't tell the differences between her memories and her dreams. One moment she was floating away in happiness, the next she was reminiscing a sad moment. All that had Kiba in it. Deep inside her, she felt sorrow, worry, depression. Feelings that were not her own. Her emotions lingered with those of her loving wolves and with all of them combined, Cheza's soul burned with desperation. Slowly, the flower maiden's heart began to thump loudly, mixed with her own voice inside her mind.

_Kiba..this ...one is...coming._ Her eyes snapped open at the last word and caused a crack in her glass containment. "Kiba." Her awakening made the automatic program sustaining her go haywire.

A loud, sole, alarm went off; a red light went flashing on and off as the system reversed itself and began to drain out the water inside Cheza's glass tank. As the water level lowered, Cheza looked around to see if any of the soldiers were coming. Not at all worried about the consequences of being caught dismantling herself, she waited patiently as the glass sphere now began to crack and finally shatter. The suspensions holding her clicked open and let her fall.

Cheza landed gracefully on her feet and without wasting any time, she walked out of the chamber, ignoring both her wet attire and the alarms going off. She stopped in the middle of the long, deserted hall and looked both ways, unsure of why the guards nor Cher weren't coming for her.

But that didn't matter now, she needed to get to the others fast.

She plodded down the hallways, her intuition leading her. She brushed her fingertips against a wall, leaving traces for a purpose. _This one is coming Kiba..._She chanted over and over in her head, feeling like it was time for her to save him in return all of the times he saved her. She made turns, right and left, for what seemed like hours but finally reached the exit of the lab. Cheza made a right, still leaving her damp trace on the walls, and stopped halfway.

She placed her arm down, stopped brushing her fingers on the wall, and turned around. The clever girl tiptoed to the exit, making sure she wouldn't leave her footsteps behind, and placed her hand on the lock, emitting a glow. Within moments the doors opened up, freedom calling Cheza.

Without looking back, the flower maiden walked out with no map, no direction, and no one to help her. But she had everything she needed: A destination, a reason, and a person waiting for her return.

* * *

**Purplelizard: **Thanks, I thought no one was gonna review but what do ya know? You did!

**Witch01: **I'm glad you think it's cool I'll try to update as often as possible

**Liz: **I'm glad someone agrees with me! Cheza needs to appear way more, but that's what we're here for::pulls out camera and a Public Relations pass: We gotta get more Cheza in the WR fandom!

**Jacko: **Thanks! I was expecting cool, but awesome is so much better! And yea, we need more Cheza/Kiba ficcies! But don't worry, we'll get more of those on If it's the last thing I'll do, I will write thousands of Cheza and Kiba stories::insert maniacal, evil laugh:

**Elvesmagic010: **:stars in eyes: I feel so loved! Thanks a lot for that! I thought I had a crappy writing style ; I feel like such a good writer :self-esteem percentage gone up by 10: Thanks for putting me on your lists, I really appreciate that

**Scorpio Serpent: **Thanks! Glad to hear you like it I'll continue this no matter what::evil laugh comes on: stupid tape... :whacks tape recorder:

**I'm trying my best to put up my chapters fast and not delay as much. But you know how school is -.- Always getting in the way, making Writer's Block stronger each day -.- But I shall prevail Till next time!**


	6. Niche

_You've got a friend in me... _

* * *

None but a few lights were on in the entire city. Not even street lamps, or was the era of street lamps done with? The cold wind rushing through the vacant streets was the only element moving in that city. At least down the road she was going through that is. Not a single human was to be seen, but of course, considering the hour of the night she was strolling at, it was not unusual.

With wide ruby eyes observing every little detail of the metropolis, Cheza paid no mind to the absence of people, but more to the absence of wolves. Unsure of where she was going, Cheza just kept walking, hands into little fists over her heart and eyes ever watchful. Surrounded by nothing but dirtied buildings and raggedy open stores (**a/n: **like the stores in Aladdin, the market stores), she looked through every little alley and corner, hoping to spot a couple of perky ears or hear the sound of jingling bracelets.

_Where is this one? Where is Kiba? And little Toboe and Hige and Tsume? _

The cold October night breeze was starting to take its toll on her soaked body, getting her to slightly shiver now and then. But that was not the issue now, she needed to find her wolves. Before the scientists...or Darcia...found her.

Nearing an alley, something caught her attention. The silhouette of a canine enlarged on the side of a building brought a wide smile to her face and raised her hopes.

"Kiba!"

She made a run for him, eyes shimmering in delightful relief but the emotion soon turned into confusion when _Kiba_ quickly turned, his shadow leaving, as she moved into the alley.

Cheza stood in the way, puzzled by his sudden retrieve but decided to follow him anyway.

"Kiba? It is this one!" Hearing no reply, Cheza walked deeper into the alley, profoundly confused by the wolf's actions.

"Kiba?" Her eyes caught sight of a pair of bright eyes in a dark corner.

Sighing happily, she took a step towards the hidden wolf. "Ki- - -"

A low growl stopped her words and before she knew it, the creature came out of the shadows, revealing its true self.

A simple stray dog.

You could easily mistake him for a wolf with his stature and bright eyes. He was a light caramel colored dog, spotted with dirt all over his fur and legs, with a dark brown spot over his right eye.

Cheza frowned as her hopes collapsed inside her as the stray stood before her, baring his teeth at her. Being the innocent one and blinded by sorrow, Cheza spoke to the canine.

"Forgive this one, this one thought you were someone else. Sorry for disturbing you." Her voice, no higher than a whisper, caught the dog by surprise. He stopped his growling and cocked his head to the side. Clearly he was confused by her sweetness.

Cheza smiled softly at him and crouched down, extending her hand out to him. "This one's name is Cheza. This one is alone just like you."

Slowly, the dirtied dog walked up to her, analyzing her with each step he took. Cheza kept her smile on, looking at him straight in his bright eyes. He took a sniff at her and felt a sense of tranquility rush over him.

As if a natural instinct, the dog lowered both his guard and his ears and allowed her hand to caress his furry head.

Cheza's smile widened, knowing the dog had accepted her and deepened her touch by fully digging her hands into his fur and hugged him. She giggled watching his tail wag left to right in delight and just embracing him brought wonderful memories. Memoirs of when her and Kiba had met.

Closing her eyes, Cheza revived those moments in her mind, letting her emotions bring the dog peace.

"Kiba..." She whispered into the cold night, his name like music to her ears and a warm blanket over her shivering small figure.

Feeling tears sting her eyes and her bottom lip quiver, Cheza tightened her hug on her new companion and nuzzled her face into his fur, trying to hold the pain in. The dog whined a bit as if asking her what was wrong.

Cheza plastered on smile and unhooked herself from him, looking at him in the face. "You are a very cute dog." She patted his head and giggled watching him try to lick her hand.

"Well, this one must go." She sighed, getting up to her feet. He whined and gave her a puppy face, eyes begging her to stay.

"This one needs to find a place to stay for a little while. Like Kiba used to do." Cheza ruffled his fur and explained to him, as if the dog would understand her reason.

Surprisingly he did.

He barked at her and wagged his tail in an excited way. Turning around, he ran deep into the shady alley. Cheza stood there a bit confused and tried spotting his figure in the dark alley but couldn't. He barked again, signaling to come and without hesitation, she did.

Watching her step, Cheza met up with the dog again, at the end of the alley which seemed to look endless when she looked over her shoulder to see the entrance. Squinting her eyes to see better at what he was showing her, Cheza smiled at the dog.

"Is this where you live?" She pointed at the cardboard dog house hidden behind tons broken boxes. He barked in agreement and went to her side, snuggling beside her leg.

"..May this one stay with you?" She looked down at him and found a very happy dog, barking in delight.

Cheza laughed as he pranced around her, happy as ever. Going behind her, he nudged the back of her knees, motioning to enter his little home.

"This one thanks you very much, friend." She smiled as she got on her knees and crawled into the small dwelling, perfect for her stature. In he went after Cheza, laying next to her.

Even in the blackness of the night she could see his bright eyes and placed a tender hand on his head, fingering his fur. "This one will repay you back, friend...My little...Unari."

His ears went up in surprise. Unari?

Cheza giggled and nodded, knowing what was going through his mind. "This one does not know your name but Unari matches you. The first thing you did to this one was growl, Unari."

Feeling like her explanation was good, not that he cared of course, the now-named Unari placed his head back on the cardboard and rested, loving the touch of her caressing hand.

Cheza smiled softly at the sight of his comfort and continued petting him as images of her friends came to her. She knew how much it helped her wolves when at night she sang to them and consecutively petted them.

She shivered a bit as the night wind swayed through their area. It did not help that she was still damp to the bone nor that the temperature seemed to be dropping. Yet she closed her eyes and tried falling asleep, wanting to relive moments in her mind.

Unari felt her shiver, he heard her shuddering breaths and scooted over to her more, shifting so his fur was covering her a bit.

"Thank you..." Cheza whispered, wrapping her arms around him and snuggling into his warmth. They soon together fell into the reign of the sandman, both happy for their new findings.

Cheza for making a new friend in a city she knew was completely dangerous. And Unari, for finally finding an owner who wouldn't mistreat him like his previous ones.

As the night grew colder and darker, there in a narrow alley draped in darkness, lay the flower maiden and her new protector.

* * *

**A/N: **

**Unari is Japanese for growl. :) I thought I'd follow BONES ways of naming people. Kiba aka Fang, Tsume aka Claw, and so on lol. **

**Thanks for waiting and of course reading and reviewing :big grin: Sorry it took so long, but I can assure you that this will be the last time I take so long to update. Scout's Honor::...cricket...: **

**For those who might want to whack me or choke me to death for making a dog Cheza's 'new protector', let me explain. I think Kiba and the guys would be much happier knowing that Cheza's in good hands rather than being alone in a city full of wacko scientists and crazy cops. **

**Speaking of our four lovely wolves, they're be appearing in the next chap. So fear not! Our handsome protagonists will come to the rescue! **

**That's all for now, with lots of psychopathic love,**

**Maiden Cheza **


	7. Determined

_Don't wanna close my eyes, don't wanna fall asleep……-Aerosmith_

All he needed was a couple hours of sleep. Well, it wasn't sleep. Sleep was when your senses were put to rest and your mind was relaxed. What he had was more like some hours of tossing and turning and heavy thinking. You could assume that after those unsettling hours he would finally fall into a slumber. Heck, a dreamless sleep would suffice. But his eyes would not close for more than some minutes and his mind would not rest throughout the whole, entire, long night.

As soon as the night's darkness began to show the slightest change of shade, Kiba rose up, not able to neither sleep nor handle his own fidgeting.

The desert wind rustled his russet hair and picked at his clothes as he stood there, looking straight into the horizon. He posted himself there all morning and had not moved an inch. So far the only things that _did_ moved were his thoughts.

If he were a human, and if he were a scientist…where would he go? What would be a good place to set a…. science center…thing. Whatever humans called those places. How did they track Cheza?

Ironically, Kiba thought, they wouldn't have to worry about Darcia going after him and the others.

His hands at his sides turned into fists, slowly turning white.

_As if having Darcia chase after those weak humans were even better. He'd probably kill them all with a few moves and then take Cheza._

Lovely.

Just lovely.

Unless that bastard still thought Kiba had Cheza….

_Cheza…_

That was his heaviest thought. His greatest worry. Was she all right? Was she in pain? Was she scared? Alone?

He couldn't help but feel his stomach drop at the thought of her. He prayed that when he found her, because he _would _find her, she was in perfect condition. God help the person or thing that would touch a single hair on Cheza for if he found out, he would show the world what a rabid wolf really was.

Kiba found himself baring his razor sharp fangs and growling lowly yet deeply in his throat. He finally awoke from his daze and slowly calmed himself down. Something caught his eye, far in the distance. The ground seemed to shimmer a bit in a…. light.

Sunrise.

That was the moment Kiba had been waiting for; that little signal.

Turning around, the serious teen looked over to his sleeping pack and walked towards them. Standing before the thrice of wolves, Kiba looked over them. He knew they were as worried as he was.

It was obvious on little Toboe's face, his eyes ever so dreary and full of worry for his 'little big sister'.

Hige's joyful facade was slowly falling apart, the concern for Cheza weighing a ton on his shoulders.

Even formidable Tsume was letting his mask slip a bit. His sarcastic, sadistic, sardonic attitude wasn't enough to hide the fact that he was deeply vexed with Cheza's kidnap.

Kiba crouched down beside a drooling Hige and shook him. Not too hard but not soft either.

"…Get off me…. you…st…stupid…. ssss…. squi…squirrel…" Hige murmured.

Whatever the hell was going on in Hige's dream was something Kiba did not want to know about, so he kept shaking. Hige finally stirred awake and turned to Kiba.

For some reason, Hige smiled softly at Kiba whom was confused for this silly smile.

"You're back…" Hige whispered raising a hand to touch Kiba's face. Kiba deeply puzzled, stayed still.

"Blue my love…"

Before his hand even brushed against Kiba's cheek, Kiba smacked Hige across his face.

"Ow! Blue!" Hige sat up straight, cradling his stinging cheek.

He looked at the supposed Blue and blushed at the obvious mistake.

"Hige," Kiba looked at him with a stern look.

"Yeah?" Hige smiled foolishly, rubbing his cheek.

"If you ever confuse me for Blue or try to touch me again like that, I will kill you."

"Roger that, sir." Hige chuckled embarrassedly, getting up along with Kiba.

"It was the light behind you, y'know. I'm not gay or anything…I was half asleep too…" The tanned wolf mumbled.

Knowing what to do, Hige began to wake up the others as Kiba thought on which direction to go next.

"Come on, Chibi. Time to go Cheza-hunting again." Hige shook Toboe, tickling him as well.

"You have no idea how annoying your voice is in the morning." Tsume's sarcasm poured into the dawn. Hige rolled his eyes and just keeping waking up Toboe.

Tsume's lean body rested touching the hard, scratchy ginger sand as he laid his head against a boulder that seemed to bulge out of the ground. With one light gold eye that seemed to shimmer soft green in the light, Tsume looked towards Hige and Toboe.

The pup seemed to be in a deep slumber, cause he sure as hell wasn't waking up. Seeing that Hige's pathetic attempts at waking him up weren't working, Tsume got up and headed for them.

"Move." He pushed Hige out of the way and picked up Toboe by the collar.

Call it a chain reaction, but when Toboe felt that his body no longer touched the sand and familiar fingers clutched his shirt, his amber eyes snapped open.

"I'm awake, I'm awake! He squeaked.

Surprisingly…a smirk appeared on Tsume's sleek face. "I thought so."

As easily as he picked him up, Tsume dropped him on his feet. Toboe stumbled a bit and shook himself completely awake, inside a little annoyed at the wolf's ways.

Tsume casually strolled over next to Kiba and stared out in the direction Kiba was looking at. After some moments of silence, Tsume spoke. "Is that the way we're going or you're just taking a mental piss?" Sarcasm.

Kiba barely moved at Tsume's witty comment, Tsume could insult him and his being and Kiba wouldn't care. Cheza was the one thing that mattered right there and then.

"We're heading north and this time, we keep going overnight." That was all the alpha of the pack said before walking ahead.

Toboe whined at the new information as Hige cursed under his breath. "I'm gonna weigh lighter than Cheza if we keep this up. No food, just traveling…."

"Let's go kiddies." Tsume grunted, following Kiba's steps.

As the sun began to rise over the horizon, the foursome of wolves ran consecutively, their shadows blown up on the sand. It was a sight anyone would consider inspiring.

Against all the odds, against the human law, against the difference between fantasy and reality, wolves were alive and running.

The fact that they still existed after centuries of being considered mere fairy tale creatures was amazing. How they survived all these years and remained incognito to the human world is as astonishing as the idea of Paradise.

And there they were…. Against everything…. Fighting for paradise.

That string of hope called Paradise.

* * *

**a/n:**

Dear readers and reviewers,

Forgive me for my sudden disappearance and my broken promise. I had pledged that I wouldn't delay for a long time with the updates of my chapters and yet I broke my oath. If you hate me, I completely understand. If you're annoyed at me, you can grab a stick and beat me with it. Degrade me if you wish, but then again…degrading comments and physical fights were the things that got me offline. As you know, life gets hectic and very hard at times. It came to the point where I either went berserk or took some time off and centered myself. I picked the centering part because honestly, I did not want to get stuck in Anger Management again. Had to do it in 5th grade and that sucked. It worked. But it sucked. Now that I'm back to my cheery self, I can continue writing. So expect more chapters! But once again, I'm sorry for my pathetic life getting in the way. So please, continue reading and reviewing if you like.

Sincerely,

Maiden Cheza……


	8. Hope

Amid an everlasting suffocating fog that reigned over the ruined city, streamed sunlight down onto the streets, just barely but enough to keep the hopes of dreamers alive. The hopes for a better life after the purgatory they had created themselves. Technology had been beneficial for centuries but the marginal cost far exceeded the benefit and here they were, rotting inside their own bodies, breathing fume instead of air, living below poor instead of having struck rich.

How cruel was life when you tried to take advantage of it.

The Lost Generation was now The Lost Future. A lost and distant place where tomorrow was much worse than today and faith in whatever God one prayed to was a myth to some and a memory to most. Ironic how now the world was in unison, asking for the same thing: a better life. But their wish had come too late and the heavens were sleeping, deaf to the cries of the dependants down below.

All faith was lost to them...but secretly stored inside a beautiful flower sleeping down a dirtied alley.

The sounds of an ever busy city before her hardly stirred Cheza, her form curled into a little ball inside the make shift box. Her dreams locked away the reality that stung, ran like poison through veins and so, running through a field in her mind, with her friends alongside, Cheza was emotionally safe. And it was only when she felt a tickling sensation upon her pale cheek that the beauty awoke, ruby eyes fluttering open to slowly register Unari's presence.

He affectionately passed his tongue across her skin, his attempt to wake up his new friend a success. Cheza giggled gently and closed her eyes for a moment, as if to fall asleep once again. "This one is awake…" She assured in a sleepy voice, letting a little yawn pass through her lips. But an ever persistent Unari continued, knowing that whole "I'm awake" deal like the back of his…paw.

Realizing she would not get the chance to rest, Cheza sighed and looked up at him, moving her head away to see him. "This one is awake, Unari." She giggled, a little smile upon her features. Satisfied for now, Unari retreated into nuzzling against her for a moment and then walked out of his cardboard home, a happy wag of the tail accompanied.

With no possible room to stretch, Cheza easily got out as well and rose to her feet, stretching in the dim daylight. Despite the sorrow carved into every breath that was drawn in that city, Cheza smiled. She smiled because all hope was not lost. Even if she had no idea where she was. As if forgetting that a militia was after her very soul, the pallid beauty twirled around and beamed down at her friendly companion, his true essence now clear in the sunlight.

"You and this one are very much like! We are so dirty!" She giggled, ruffling the fur above his head tenderly. "Are you hungry, Unari?" Cheza asked sweetly, taking the role she knew nothing of but loved to be – the role of the protector. But Kiba, thought Cheza, was a far more better protector than anyone could ever be.

Thoughts pertaining to Kiba and the gang fluttered away as Unari barked happily at her and ran past her side, looking over to her once he was out of the alley. "You know a place where we can eat?" came her hopeful inquiry, Unari barking once more.

"Okay then! Let's go! Oh but wait…" A pretty pout came onto her countenance as she realized the problem. Cheza looked down at herself, the clothes she wore vividly screaming FLOWER MAIDEN at the highest of volumes.

But from the corner of her eye, she saw something and quickly turned. There, disheveled on the dirty asphalt was a…cloak? Well it would soon become a cloak!

Cheza ran to it, grabbed it and held it out before her. Long and wide enough. Yes, that would do! She wrapped it around herself, adding a hoodie to it and smiled at Unari who barked once more, anxious to leave and explore with his companion.

"Alright, Unari. Now we can go and see the world!" She giggled and out they went. Really going to see the world but not for what it truly was. Not for the junkyard and cemetery it had become. But for the spark of hope it still maintained, in her heart and his.

* * *

**

* * *

A/N:**

My GOD it's been centuries that I have updated! I do apologize, from the bottom of my bloody heart! I…I just lost my muse for Wolf's Rain and underwent hell and then school bombarded me with so much shit that I thought I could not fight through. But alas I am here! And well!

I know, I know. Short chapter. Really different from the previous chapters. Well that's because (hopefully) my writing has improved and I'm no longer 15. I'm 17 :P and AP English rocks. I'm also in a hurry. I decided (and thought) that if I wrote and updated even with a sucky chapter, that would help me start writing once more. Because I can break down the big chapters and get used to writing for Wolf's Rain once more.

Uh…let's see…yeah. I'm back.

:P


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